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Gloucester’s 3rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration – a festive community event!

~ chasnaz

Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration hosted by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation

Monday, January 21st 2019, 2:00-6:00pm

In the historic (1806) Gloucester Meetinghouse (Unitarian Universalist Church)

Corner of Middle and Church Street

This is a free community event and all are welcome!

Free-will contributions to the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation towards the ongoing preservation of the building are requested.   Memberships, mugs, caps, totes, shirts and refreshments available.

Gloucester’s 3rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration: an afternoon of presentations honoring Dr. King about African-American History including Sandra Ronan, Stephanie Buck, live music by Alvin Foster and his band Soul Eclectic, and Keynote Speaker award-winning  filmmaker/journalist Clennon L. King on MLK’s Boston years, followed by audio of Martin Luther King, Jr. accompanied by a slide show.  Audience invited to ring the Paul Revere bell at the conclusion for freedom.

More info at: www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

SCHEDULE

2:00-2:15     Introduction: ‘Why Are We Here?                    Sandra Ronan

2:15-2:45     ‘Shadowed Lives,’ Effects of Slavery on Cape Ann                                                                                                            Stephanie Buck

2:45-3:00     Break with Refreshments

3:00-3:45     Alvin Foster and his band Soul Eclectic, music that underpinned Black people’s courage to be happy and celebrate life, love, spirituality and growth in the face of racism

3:45-4:00     Break with Refreshments

4:00-5:00     Keynote Speaker: Clennon L. King, ‘MLK’S Boston Years’ The award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Clennon L. King will present a slideshow, focusing on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s movements in Boston and New England, from the fall of 1951 to the spring of 1954, to be followed by Q&A with the audience

5:00-5:15     Break with Refreshments

5:15-6:00     Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” accompanied by a slide show of period and present-day images

Conclusion:   Audience invited to join in ringing the Paul Revere Bell for freedom

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: CLENNON L. KING ON ‘MLK’S BOSTON YEARS’

A Filmmaker’s Granular Look at Dr. & Mrs. King’s New England Years a lasered look at the little-known years Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott spent in Boston and New England.  Award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Clennon L. King, will present a slideshow, focusing on the Kings’ movements in Boston and New England, from the fall of 1951 to the spring of 1954.

Filmmaker Clennon L. King headshot.png

“Americans know all about Dr. King relative to places like Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, Washington, D.C. and Memphis, but virtually nothing about his time in Boston,” said Clennon L. King, (no relation) whose father was a lawyer for Dr. King in the Historic Albany Movement. “This slideshow seeks to fill in the blanks.”  Clennon L. King will present the compelling PowerPoint® slideshow to audience, before leading a spirited conversation and Q&A with the audience.

Clennon L. King writes, “In a city as historic as Boston, there are few signs that Martin Luther King, Jr. lived, worked and played here before heading to Montgomery to the world stage,” said the Boston-based filmmaker. “My goal was to reconstruct his time here before it is lost to history forever.”

Clennon L. King’s 45-minute slideshow and discussion program is entitled “MLK’s Boston Years”, and was presented to MLK Boston, which plans to build a $5 million monument to Dr. and Mrs. King on the Boston Common.  Boston’s NPR affiliate, WGBH 89.7 FM has twice interviewed King around his research on the Kings’ time in Boston. In April 2018, the filmmaker was featured on the Boston Edition of All Things Considered® with Barbara Howard, and in November 2018, he again was featured on ‘Under the Radar’ with Callie Crossley.

STEPHANIE BUCK: ‘SHADOWED LIVES’

Born and educated in England – degree from London University – married an American and moved to Gloucester in 1970 – became interested in local history through research on her house – which is just across the road from the Unitarian Universalist Church.  She retired as Archivist/Librarian of the Cape Ann Museum last May after 14 years.  The title of her presentation is “Shadowed Lives” – just skimming the surface of slavery on Cape Ann.

LOCATION, PARKING & ACCESSIBILITY

The Gloucester Meetinghouse (home of the Unitarian Universalist Church) is located on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Street.  Event parking is allowed on the green and is available at other parking lots and on-street nearby in the Historic District.   An elevator up to the Sanctuary level is available from the side entrance at 10 Church Street.

More info at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

 

Flooding Alert: LONG DURATION COASTAL STORM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY BRINGS POWER OUTAGES Gloucester Emergency Alert

~ Chris Sicuranza

Gloucester Emergency Alert

LONG DURATION COASTAL STORM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

(Issued 3/1/2018 6 PM) Tides will be astronomically high from Thursday night (3/1/2018) through all of Saturday (3/3/2018) with a coastal storm and storm surge increasing coastal flooding and property damage. Power outages, road closures, and other emergency incidents are expected in the next 24 to 48 hours and we strongly recommend all citizens to prepare accordingly.

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Additionally, we caution all citizens who are in low lying areas that are prone to flooding to be aware and prepare accordingly. Any home or business that was previously affected by recent storms and flooding should especially take caution.

Coastal properties facing East, NorthEast may be severely affected by the predicted storm surge and significant wave action.

Precautionary measures should be taken immediately to best prepare, including voluntary evacuation prior to the storm. All residents should avoid these areas, as well as avoiding driving through any flooded areas.

Strong winds may cause power outages and we are asking citizens to shelter in place. If your home is being flooded or if you are in danger, call 911 for immediate assistance. Emergency teams are prepared to assist anyone in need so call 911 right away.

Roads may be slick in areas, so we remind all to take caution if driving. Roadways most prone to splash-over at astronomically high tides will be at greatest risk of inundation.

Updates will be forthcoming and will be shared on the City of Gloucester website and social media pages so please visit http://www.gloucester-ma.gov. Thank you for your assistance and please use 911 for any flooding or emergency needs.

POWER OUTAGES

National Grid has been preparing for power outages in different areas across the North Shore, including Gloucester. If any outages do occur in your area, it is imperative that they be reported via the National Grid Customer Service or Outage Reporting phone lines as listed below. Every outage phone call that we receive is logged into our outage tracking system and better enables us to pinpoint the location of the issue. The sooner National Grid can identify the location of the issue, the quicker a response can be sent.

  • The Customer Service Line is: 1-800-322-3223
  • The Outage Reporting Line is: 1-800-465-1212

REMINDERS/ SAFETY INFORMATION

MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STATEMENT

Latest weather and emergency reports can be seen using the following links and resource lines: